How To: Have a Self-Care Routine

At this point of the semester many students are burned out mentally and physically, so it is important to practice self-care. 

The International Self-Care Foundation, ISF, defined self-care as something people do for themselves to establish and maintain health, and to prevent and deal with illnesses. They categorized this definition into seven pillars: health literacy, mental wellbeing, physical activity, healthy eating, risk avoidance, good hygiene and rational and responsible use of products, services, diagnostics and medicines.

Some activities students can do to practice a self-care routine include going to the gym a few times a week, having a spa night once a week, reading books outside of the ones for class and practicing your favorite hobby.  

“My favorite thing to do for self-care is that I have girls' night every Monday with my friends where we watch movies and just relax,” said Madison Taylor, a senior communication major. “We have been doing this for about a year now, and it has been helpful with allowing us to recharge.” 

ISF stated that self-care is a lifelong habit and culture. This means that you can’t just do it a day or two, a person must set a routine for the body to learn how to recharge and be healthy again.